


As Long as We're Together

by yorkisms



Series: Three is the Magic Number [2]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Church and Wash really love Tucker the fic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hospitals, Mentioned injuries, Multi, Polyamory, mostly comfort., someday other characters will have speaking roles in this universe.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 23:23:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12352662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yorkisms/pseuds/yorkisms
Summary: Yes, Tucker is honest, open, affectionate, playful, and genuine.That makes the times when he needs Church and Wash’s help so much worse, they privately agree. He’s their sunshine, and that makes the rain the more painful to see.





	As Long as We're Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PeacefulPhoenix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeacefulPhoenix/gifts).



> Me? Writing more chuckington in this universe and config? It's more likely than you think. 
> 
> This particular fic is dedicated to PeacefulPhoenix, best friend, platonic soulmate, light of my life, and metamour. Always in my heart. Or a little down and left. <3 
> 
> This is a companion fic to Hell and Back, but can be read alone. In summary: Church/Wash and Tucker/Wash and Church and Tucker are best friends, based loosely on my real live polycule (who I love very much, yes I do.)
> 
> _We built this world together, we lived in here together_   
>  _And shared the fun together, bore the sorrows, all together_   
>  _We'll win the fight together, we'll lose the game together_   
>  _Greet the heroes all together, and forever, we'll remember_

The thing about Tucker that Church and Wash both have grown to love in their own ways is his emotional intensity. 

With Tucker, it’s almost always smiles. Tucker is generally the one on any day who can make them laugh, even if it’s at him, or pick them up when they’re down. Tucker doesn’t just say things, he means them with every molecule of his being. 

For Church, it’s what makes Tucker his closest friend. He’s known Tucker since the second grade, inseparable from the moment their teacher moved Tucker to the back of class as a punishment for joking too much. That happened to be where the quieter child that was Leonard Church was permanently relegated, sparking a bond that would stand the test of time- despite how often the duo would declare they hate each other.

For Wash, it’s something to fall in love with. To him, Tucker will always be the new hire he had to train at the MMA studio, barely twenty-five, all charming grin and joke after joke. If you ask Wash, he’s kind of hard not to fall a little in love with, the way he makes everyone he talks to feel special. 

While it’s in different ways, Wash and Church can agree on one thing: they certainly do love Tucker. 

Wash, for his part, loves catching moments of deep emotional connection between his boyfriends- who always seem to be snarking at each other for one reason or another. 

Sometimes, he gets home after Tucker. He shuts the door quietly when he does, in case his boyfriends are already asleep, or otherwise occupied in ways that wouldn’t be helped by the heavy slam of their door. 

This time, when Wash closes the door, he’s greeted with what he thinks of as a very welcome sight. Church and Tucker are on the couch, curled around each other as if they don’t want to let go, and if this is the aftermath of some emotional moment Wash wants to know later. Right now, he just stands in the entrance hall and stares through to the living room, where he can see over the couch that they’re holding hands, too. 

Wash smiles to himself. He can tell from their body language that they’re sleeping on each other as some TV movie plays quietly in the background.

He was going to take a shower- work often leaves him and Tucker quite sweaty- but he can’t resist moving up to the couch to get a better look. Church’s head is leaned on Tucker’s shoulder, Tucker’s cheek smushed into Church’s scalp. Tucker is snoring softly, and Church looks...well, he looks halfway cute when he’s not holding his face in a nasty case of resting bitch.

Wash bends over slightly, brushing Tucker’s dreads off his cheeks. He pulls his hand back as Tucker’s eyelids flutter, and Tucker grins sleepily at Wash. 

“Hey hot stuff,” Tucker says, words slurred with sleep. Wash rolls his eyes affectionately. 

“How are things back at the vault?” 

Tucker’s upper body shakes slightly with a snort.

“Church worked himself to the bone today. Told him he should take a break. Guess we got comfy.”

“You’re cute,” Wash hums. “The both of you.” 

“You love us.” 

“God help me,” Wash murmurs dramatically, “I do.”

Tucker lets Wash brush the rest of his hair away, clearly basking in the feeling of Wash’s hands on his skin.

“I wanna go back to sleep, I think.” 

“Then I’m gonna make you both dinner, and you’re gonna like it.”

Tucker’s sleepy grin grows. “Sure we will. Whatever, buzzkill.”

-

“Church.” 

Tucker’s home for the day, his classes cancelled, and he’s taken to his activity of choice: bugging Church, of course. 

“What,” Church growls with fake-irritation, looking over his shoulder at where Tucker is resting his head on Church’s back, watching him work. 

“Stop working for five minutes and pay attention to me.”

“Fuck off.” 

“No,” Tucker groans, tugging on Church’s office chair. 

“Tucker-!” Church yelps, hands flying off the mouse and keyboard to stop from toppling over onto the floor. “Fuck!” 

Tucker laughs, and Church sighs. 

“You’re not any fun anymore, Church.” 

“Did you ever think I was any fun ever?” Church shoots back with a raised eyebrow.

“Nah,” Tucker replies airily. Church sighs. 

“Fine. What do you want me to do.” 

“Play Halo with me until Wash gets home so I can make fun of you to his face, because you’ve always been crappy at video games.”   
Church looks at the half-finished website on his desktop, then looks at the reflection of Tucker’s eyes in the monitor- eager, affectionate, and Church kind of wishes he hadn’t looked, because Tucker can do puppy dog eyes with the best of them.

“Just this once.”

Tucker grins, dragging Church out of his chair and over to the couch. 

“Finally!”

Church rolls his eyes, but Tucker can tell he’s barely holding back a smile. An actual smile. Only he and Wash get those. 

Mission accomplished. 

“I’m gonna fuck you up,” Tucker declares, handing Church the extra controller. “Bow-chicka--” 

“Tucker!” Church screeches. Tucker bursts into laughter. 

(In Church’s book, screeches mean irritated with an undertone of amused, like when reacting to Tucker’s jokes.)

Tucker sits back down, bumping his shoulder against Church’s. 

“Lemme guess. You’re gonna use the sniper rifle.” 

“Damn right.”

“Well, you have to get good at it someday...” Tucker says, playful. 

Church glares. 

Tucker just has to laugh again, because really, Church looks like a wet cat when he makes that face.

“Alright, alright, let’s go.” 

\--

Yes, Tucker is honest, open, affectionate, playful, and genuine. 

That makes the times when he needs Church and Wash’s help so much worse, they privately agree. He’s their sunshine, and that makes the rain the more painful to see.

“This’s Church.” 

“Church, babe,” Wash says, “It’s me. Is Tucker with you?” 

“Uhh, no, I thought he was working.”

“No, he- well, he kind of vanished. Did he text you?” 

Church looks at his cell phone before holding it back to his ear and shaking his head. “Nope.”

One can practically hear Wash pacing.

“I’m sure he’s fine, Wash,” Church says, clearly straining to remain calm. “We just need to take a deep breath. Do you wanna come home?” 

“Church, I wanna fucking find my boyfriend.” 

“Ok, look. Lemme put pants on and hop a bus to the studio. And I’ll see if I can call him. Ok?” 

Wash sighs, still on edge. “Okay. Fine.”

“Ask one of the junior instructors to teach your class if you have to,” Church says. “Like Smith. I like that kid.”

Wash’s responding breath crackles through the receiver. “Okay.” 

“Be there in half an hour, ok? I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Church speed-dials Tucker as he pulls a pair of jeans on with one hand. 

“This’s Tucker, leave a message.” 

“Tucker- shit! Where the fuck are you, dude?” Church barely manages to button his jeans with one hand. 

“Wash is worried sick. You’d better have a good explanation. Call me.”

Church barely makes it to the bus stop. 

Wash and Tucker drive more than he does- Church’s family never bothered to teach him how to drive, and Church almost never leaves the apartment alone anyway, so in times like these he’s relegated to the public transit. 

Church waits impatiently, until the bus pulls up at the stop down the street from Wash’s...workplace. 

Church tends not to run, but he would say he moves at an accelerated pace to the front of the MMA studio, where Wash is pacing, waiting for him.

“Wash!” 

“Oh, thank god,” Wash says, and while Wash isn’t usually a tactile person in public, Church finds himself swept up in a hug. 

“It’s ok, it’s ok, I’m here,” Church hums. “It’s gonna be ok, baby.” 

“You know him better than anyone,” Wash says. “Do you know where he could be?” 

“That’s entirely dependent upon what happened,” Church points out. “But I’m gonna call him again, ok?” 

Church pulls out his cell phone. 

“This’s Tucker.” 

“Can you call me back already?” Church snaps. 

“Dude, I picked up.” 

“You sounded like your voicemail,” Church mutters. “Tucker. Dude. Where are you?”

“I’m-”

“And don’t deflect.” 

“I’m at the hospital, alright?” 

“Are you ok?” 

“Yeah, but--” Tucker pauses. “Can you just come here? I’d rather talk in person.” 

“On our way.” 

“Thank you.” 

Church hangs up. 

“Can you tell your boss you need time off for an emergency?” 

“Wait by my car,” Wash says.

Wash turns around and walks back into the studio. 

“Vanessa? Tell Smith and Jensen that they’re going to be teaching my class today.” 

-

Wash drives quietly when he’s not ok. Church is used to it. 

**[** To: **Fucker: Can you at least tell me where you are]**

**[** To: **Fucker:** Im **guessing** youre **busy but please]**

**[** To: **Fucker: We’re almost there ok]**

**[To: Fucker: [NOT SENT] please be ok]**

Wash almost locks Church in the car in his rush to get inside the hospital. Church doesn’t even complain. 

“Look, Wash, he answered a call, which means he’s not a patient-” 

“But where is he?” 

“Probably the waiting room. Where people go when there is a problem.”

Church sounds sarcastic, which almost- almost-- makes Wash round on him and snap. But Wash takes a breath and realizes Church sounds just as upset. 

“Come on,” Wash says, and they keep walking.

They find Tucker sitting in one of the windowsills of the waiting room, eyes closed. To the stranger, he might look at ease, but Church and Wash can tell he’s trying to calm down. His body is too subtly tense for anything else. 

“Tucker,” Wash breathes, and Tucker opens his eyes and stands up to greet them.

“I’m sor-”

Before he can finish, Wash has gathered Tucker into his arms, holding on tightly. Church hangs back for a minute before Tucker gestures for him, and then it’s just the two of them sandwiching Tucker between them, so tight and silent that each can feel the other ones shaking slightly. 

“You gave us a heart attack,” Church says, no bite.

“I didn’t have time to call,” Tucker murmurs. “Remember my kid?” 

Of course they do. Lavernius Tucker Junior, the product of a one night stand of Tucker’s nearly 8 years ago, and other love of Tucker’s life. Wash’s face creases.

“Is he o-”

“They said he’s gonna be fine,” Tucker interrupts, and Wash lets out a breath. “His mom, on the other hand...” 

“Oh.” 

Church is not the best at sympathy. “I’m...so sorry, dude.”

Wash is better, anyway. “What happened?” 

“Part of their house caved in. Leaky ceiling. Junior’s ok, minor injuries, just, getting checked right now. He’s gonna have to come home with us.”   
Church seems to need to process that more than Wash. 

“We don’t have a spare bedroom, Tucker,” Wash says, before Church can open his mouth, because Church will come off sounding harsher anyway. 

“We have a couch,” Tucker says forcefully, “And pillows, and blankets. This isn’t a negotiation.” 

“Of course, of course, we’ll figure something out,” Wash says gently, in the tone he uses to broker compromises between Church and Tucker. (Church has never been the best with the kid, Tucker’s a protective parent, sometimes they butt heads even without something to argue over.)

“What about expenses?” Wash asks. 

“I’ll figure that out later. Right now I just wanna get my kid and go home.” 

“Lavernius Tucker?” A nurse calls from the front of the room. 

“Be right back,” Tucker says, giving Wash a kiss on the cheek before leaving. 

“Church.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Two things. One, don’t be a dick to the kid-”

“I would never. I’m more used to him now than I was before anyway!” 

“Good,” Wash says, tone a threat. “Two. I want you to consider an idea very carefully for me.”

Church shoves his hands in his pockets. “And that is?” 

“Ask your cousin for money to buy us a bigger house.” 

Church blinks. “I...” 

“We don’t know what’s gonna happen but it’s better to be prepared. You don’t need to ask if Junior isn’t gonna be staying with us for a long time, but if he is, we need more space.”

“You’re right,” Church admits reluctantly. 

“I went to high school with Lina,” Wash reminds Church. “We’re friends. She knows about all this. Just consider telling her the truth. Please.” 

“I can promise you that I’ll think about it,” Church says carefully. 

“For Tucker,” Wash says, and Church nods, and then they shake as Tucker walks out one of the halls holding Junior (goodness, Wash thinks, Junior really does look just like his father). Church and Wash watch, still shaking hands, as Junior and Tucker play for a moment, at least taking solace in their reunion. Church looks back at Wash, eyes full of determination and Church's own brand of protective love. Wash knows that they’re on the same page.

“For Tucker.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated, and I can be found at the following Locations! 
> 
> Tumblr: letthelazerteamlive   
> Twitter: @extraplutonium
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and if you liked this and _Hell and Back_ you can safely expect, at the very least, a fic about the ups and downs in Wash's life in this 'verse that Tucker and Church deal with and love him through all the same. (God, I love wholesome polyamorous fic.)


End file.
